Florida Curbs the Operators Of Popular Shark Excursions

By DANA CANEDY

Published: September 7, 2001

MIAMI, Sept. 6—
Under the glare of publicity over shark attacks this summer, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission today banned operators of popular ''interactive'' shark dives from using bloody bait to lure the fish so that people can frolic with them.

The commission said the action, which comes only days after two deadly shark attacks off the mid-Atlantic coast, was intended to protect the public. But operators of the shark-viewing excursions characterized it as politically motivated and said it would do little to reduce shark attacks.

Whether based on fear or fact, the commission's 6-to-1 vote to prohibit shark feeding underscores the increasing pressure on politicians and public safety experts to appear to be addressing the problem of shark attacks.

From Virginia to Hawaii, public officials have enacted or are considering various measures to reduce the attacks, but in doing so they face a delicate balancing act between protecting tourism and protecting the public.

On Wednesday, officials in Hawaii closed a stretch of Waikiki Beach after a sighting of three sharks. And in response to a deadly attack in Virginia on Saturday, Gov. James S. Gilmore III appointed a task force to recommend ways to prevent attacks and improve the response to them.

So far, though, the action today by the Florida commission at its meeting on Amelia Island, near Jacksonville, represents the most aggressive effort to reduce the attacks. Agency officials said the measure was necessary in light of the regular reminders this summer of the potential for tragedy when sharks and people collide. Continuing to permit divers to use bait to lure sharks to areas populated with swimmers, surfers and scuba divers was simply inviting danger, the commissioners said.

''The big picture should be the feeding of wild animals,'' said Rodney Barreto, one of the commission members. ''Potentially we could have a big problem if we had a family out there and the sharks came around because they associated it with the feeding.''

The shark excursions are popular with tourists in South Florida, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas, where professional divers take thousands of customers each year into the ocean and lure mostly small sharks to the boat with fish parts. For about $40 apiece, divers and snorkelers can mingle with the sharks and have their pictures taken swimming with them.

But in recent months, as public attention to shark attacks has increased, a growing debate has arisen over the dives. Florida leads the world in attacks with 29 reported so far this year and a record 37 attacks reported last year, according to an annual study conducted by the University of Florida.

Critics argue that luring sharks with pieces of raw fish is as dangerous as feeding black bears in national parks. Robert Dimond, president of the Marine Safety Group, a coalition of conservation groups that led the opposition to shark feeding, said the practice trains sharks to associate boats and people with food, making them more aggressive when they come in contact with swimmers or fishermen.

''Our position is simply that such tours are one of several factors that inherently increase the risk of shark attack on humans,'' said Mr. Dimond, who spoke against the practice before the commission today.

Supporters of the excursions disagreed, arguing that the dives were educational and that they mainly attracted docile nurse sharks, which are three to six feet long and resemble giant catfish. Feeding them, excursion operators say, is no more dangerous than giving carrots to animals at a petting zoo.

They note that none of the shark attacks in Florida have involved people on shark-feeding expeditions, though one woman in the Keys was bitten on the calf last year by a nurse shark after crew members on a boat tossed scraps of fish into the water.

They also say that the commission's action was a result of the publicity the attacks have received and that the members gave in to pressure to appear to be resolving the problem.

At the meeting today, ''there were seven TV cameras in their faces, so they sacrificed us rather than work with us,'' said Spencer Slate, owner of Captain Slate's Atlantis Dive Center in Key Largo and president of Marine Life Operators, an industry group.

''They can't go after the fishermen on the beach or people on beach,'' Mr. Slate said, ''so they went after the people they think are expendable. The media frenzy is worse than the 'Jaws' movie now, so they had to make a move.''

Already excursion operators are looking for ways around the feeding ban, which takes effect in November. They say, for instance, that since the commission's ruling bans only using fish parts, they will simply switch to fish oil and scents to attract sharks. And if the new regulations are revised to prohibit using those types of bait, the owners say, they can move their operations three miles off shore, where the commission has no jurisdiction.

To be sure, most people who venture into the water do not do so with the intention of mingling with sharks. And even unintentional encounters remain rare. So far this year, there have been 41 attacks in the United States, two of them fatal. At the current rate, according to George Burgess, director of the shark attack study at the University of Florida, the number of attacks will fall short of the 54 that were reported last year.

Beyond Florida, the attacks this year have prompted officials to look for ways to make coastal waters safer -- or at least make the public more aware of the dangers.